Tring Athletic are on a roll as Bedford feel the force

It has been an excellent week for Tring Athletic FC after they collected nine points from three league games and progressed through to the next round of the St Marys Cup.

In addition, their reserves won 2-0 at Northwood on Saturday to claim the Suburban League North title and increase the feel good factor within the club.

The first team emulated the same scoreline as they saw off struggling Bedford with goals in each half from Kieran Turner and Lee Stobbs.

The result extended Athletic’s good run of form to just one defeat from their last 11 games and cemented their sixth place in the table.

For Bedford, who put in a spirited performance, the omens were less rosy as they dropped to the foot of the SSML Premier Division table after Harefield United leapfrogged them following a 3-2 win over Oxhey Jets.

Bedford came close to breaking the deadlock soon after the kick-off when left-back Osamu Allman hit the post, but it was the visitors who struck first in the 11th minute.

Ryan Sturges ran to the bye-line and pulled the ball back intelligently to Turner who guided an accurate shot into the far corner of the net.

Athletic came close to scoring a second midway through the half when Turner latched on to a superb pass from Stobbs and lobbed the keeper who just managed to get his fingers to the ball to prevent a goal with the help of the post.

A few minutes later Ryan Sturges sent Turner through and again the keeper came to the rescue for Bedford with a fine point blank save to deny the Athletic playmaker.

Bedford raised their game after the interval and enjoyed a good spell of possession, but they failed to find the target as Tring keeper Matt Evans remained largely untroubled.

On the hour mark Evans was finally called into meaningful action, coming off his line quickly to smother the ball at the feet of Nathan Hilaire after a pass had finally found a way through the Athletic defence.

Both teams knew that the next goal was going to be crucial, and it was the visitors who made the vital breakthrough in the 72nd minute when sub Jay Caines released Stobbs with a terrific pass and the Athletic winger made no mistake.

To their credit, Bedford kept going and Hilaire fired a good opportunity into the side-netting, but generally Athletic looked comfortable and ran out deserved winners.

After a testing week Athletic now have a breather until Saturday when they travel down the A41 for a local derby game against Berkhamsted.